Category archive for: John Kasich

Cleveland, July 18 – Ohio Gov. John Kasich is not attending the Republican National Convention, even though it’s taking place in his state. The former Republican presidential hopeful, who has not endorsed presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, says he is focusing on his state instead.

“Helping Ohioans with developmental disabilities has been a priority and I’m pleased to sign House Bill 158 and House Bill 483 to help us build upon our progress,” Kasich said in a Facebook post. “Thank you to Rep. Jonathan Dever and Rep. Ron Amstutz for their leadership. We are showing the nation the good we can achieve by working together, across the aisle.

Share this:

Washington, April 14 – On his swing through New York state, Kasich stopped by Shema Kolainu-HearOurVoices, a school in the Orthodox neighborhood of Borough Park in Brooklyn catering to children with autism and their families.

Founded in 1998, the nonprofit, nondenominational, multicultural school provides broad spectrum education and therapeutic programs to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related disabilities.

“We’re going to have a moment to go to a school where we have young Orthodox Jews who are experiencing some – we call them disabilities – maybe the Lord sees it in a different way,” Kasich said on Tuesday outside the adjacent Shmurah Matzoh Bakery he had visited prior to the school.

The DIA would ensure that people in need of long-term services and supports such as personal care attendants can receive these services while living at home or in the community instead of in an institutionalized setting if they wish to do so.

Washington, March 29 – On Monday, Secretary Hillary Clinton called for the end of tiered wages and the increase of the minimum wage for all people, including those with disabilities.

“When it comes to jobs, we’ve got to figure out how we get the minimum wage up and include people with disabilities in the minimum wage,” Clinton said in Madison, Wisconsin while replying to a question by an autistic adult about subminimum wages for disabled workers. “There should not be a tiered wage, and right now there is a tiered wage when it comes to facilities that do provide opportunities but not at a self-sufficient wage that enables people to gain a degree of independence as far as they can go.”

Share this:

Washington, Feb. 15 – RespectAbility’s James Trout has been on the campaign trail for several months asking candidates on both sides of the aisle a variety of questions on disability topics. Some candidates have recognized Trout and commended him for his efforts.

Recently, Trout asked Kasich about his policy proposal to move control of education from the federal to the state level and how Kasich would ensure that special education is fully funded in states where special education is not the governor’s priority.

Concord, New Hampshire, Feb. 8 – RespectAbility released its New Hampshire update to its first #PwDsVote 2016 Campaign Questionnaire for people with disabilities (PwDs). For the New Hampshire release, more than half of the presidential candidates from both sides of the aisle have responded to the questionnaire.

RespectAbility is nonpartisan and does not endorse candidates. The questionnaire is purely for educational purposes as voters go to the polls.

“Fully one-out-of-five voters have a disability, and 52 percent of likely voters have a loved one with a disability. There are 56 million Americans with disabilities, and we have the ability to determine who wins or loses elections,” RespectAbility President Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi said. “In the early voting states, there are 357,730 people with a disability in Iowa, 166,258 PwDs in New Hampshire, 680,038 PwDs in South Carolina and 357,035 PwDs in Nevada. Our community will play a major role in the outcome of this election, and it is vital for us to know where the candidates stand on our issues.”

Washington, Feb. 5 – RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization working to empower people with disabilities to achieve the American dream, has asked all of the presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle to fill out a questionnaire on disability issues affecting people with disabilities (PwDs). While Gov. John Kasich is still finishing all of the responses, his campaign responded with a letter addressing several important topics including employment for people with disabilities, the prioritization of home and community-based services, Autism and expanding access to health care.

Share this:

Washington, Jan. 14 – Eight RespectAbility Report employees and fellows have been crisscrossing New Hampshire and Iowa for the past month, asking candidates to talk about a variety of disability issues – from low employment rates and high crime rates to basic accessibility issues.

When James Trout, a fellow with Asperger’s syndrome, asked presidential candidate John Kasich a question earlier this month, the Ohio governor interrupted him to give him some accolades.

“Would it be too much to ask if you could explain why you are such a strong advocate?” Kasich asked.

Share this:

Concord, NH, Dec. 23 – Ohio Gov. John Kasich called for full integration of people with disabilities during a town hall in Concord, NH, on Monday evening.

“The answer is real simple,” Kasich said when asked how people with disabilities can get out of the shadows and live the American Dream. “We should try to fully integrate people to the level of their ability. We’re doing that in Ohio now. We’re not going to ignore anybody. I mean we’re just not going to do that as a country. I don’t care who you are. We’re going to give you a chance to rise.”

Washington, Dec. 9 – Ohio Gov. John Kasich says gun control will not fix attacks like the San Bernardino shooting, which he had called a terrorist attack early on. In addition to more security, Kasich also talked about treatment for people with mental illness.

“If we can strengthen our families, strengthen our neighborhoods, not allow people to be isolated and have the kind of treatment they need for the mental illness they have, then I think we could make some significant progress,” the presidential hopeful said.

Share this:

Washington, Dec. 1 – In a new ad, Ohio Gov. John Kasich takes a shot at Donald Trump for publicly poking fun at an award-winning reporter with a congenital joint condition.

The ad, titled “Is he worthy,” says Trump is too heartless to be president and not worthy to follow in the footsteps of past presidents like Ronald Reagan. It opens with footage of Trump at a rally convulsing on stage – appearing to mock a reporter who wrote an article Trump says defends his claim that “thousands” of Muslims celebrated in New Jersey following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The reporter, Serge Kovaleski, who now works at The New York Times, has a chronic condition that impairs movement of his arm.

Share this:

Boulder, Oct. 29 – Republican presidential hopeful John Kasich wasted no time in attacking his opponents and emphasizing his economic record as governor of Ohio during last night’s CNBC debate.

In his opening statement, Kasich was quick to argue that his opponents’ talk of “getting rid of Medicare and Medicaid” was “fantasy.” He said that Washington needs such qualities as “hard work,” “fiscal discipline,” and “creativity” – qualities he claims to have had during his career as a congressman and governor.

Share this:

Cleveland, August 8 – Representing Gov. John Kasich following the Fox News debate in Cleveland on Thursday evening, Sen. John Sununu discussed Kasich’s “message of inclusiveness.” Kasich would “build our economy up so we have the resources to make sure that people are not left behind,” Sununu added.

Read his entire interview:

Q: If I were a voter with a disability, what would the candidate’s message be to why they should vote for him?

Sununu: I think really John spoke to that issue a couple of times tonight. The understanding that economic growth isn’t an end in and of itself. We build our economy up so we have the resources to make sure that people are not left behind. If they have a disability, a mental illness, a drug addiction, that they know that there is going to be someone there for them trying to ensure that they have as many opportunities as anyone else in society. And that’s the way John lives his life. That’s the way he’s served in Congress; that’s clearly the way he’s led here in Ohio.

Washington, August 5 – Leading up to the first Republican primary debate that will take place in Cleveland, Ohio tomorrow, several candidates are highlighting the importance of talking about disability issues on the campaign trail. In 2012, the Republican nominee Mitt Romney never talked about disability issues and it was not a topic of conversation during the primary. Although the majority of voters either have a disability or a family member or loved one with a disability, disability issues have not been adequately addressed by our public officials in the past.

Share this:

Washington, August 2 – Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Ohio Gov. John Kasich defended his support of a Medicaid expansion under ObamaCare, arguing that expanding Medicaid helps people with disabilities, leaving beneficiaries better off, which is “the moral thing to do.”

“It is important that we do not ignore the poor, the widowed, the disabled,” Kasich said. “I think there’s a moral aspect to it.”

Share this:

Washington, June 25 – During Gov. John Kasich’s speech at the Road to Majority Conference on Friday, he talked about the importance of embracing people with disabilities. He stated that people on the Autism spectrum should very much have access to healthcare without bankrupting their families. As someone on the Autism spectrum, I recognized the importance of this statement, especially since so few elected officials talk about it. Although the number of people diagnosed on the Autism spectrum is growing in droves, it is an issue that still is often not adequately addressed by our public officials or business leaders.

Share this:

Washington, June 19 – When Gov. John Kasich discussed his plan to grow jobs, he not only listed the need to do so for the poor and minorities but also for people who are mentally ill or developmentally disabled.

“As we grow jobs, we leave no one behind,” Kasich said Friday at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Conference. “If you are mentally ill, we’re not locking you up in prison if we can avoid it. We want to treat you and we want you to be on your feet with your God-given purpose.”